Internitwit

I recently read “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” – an article in The Atlantic about how the Internet has changed the way we think. This got me wondering: is our increasing dependence on the Internet substantially affecting the way our brains work? The answer is yes.

In his article, writer Nicholas Carr cites research that shows an alarming trend: the more we use the Internet, the less apt we are to concentrate and absorb large amounts of information. The human brain is able to adapt to circumstances, as is the case here. Because the Internet provides us with the information we are looking for so quickly, our brains have learned to expect to get what we’re looking for through skimming or a minimal amount of ­actual reading. We are slowly losing the capacity to read, let alone absorb, lengthy pieces of writing.

But I believe that the Internet is also affecting our brains in other ways. The way we write online, the slang we use, is becoming more and more a part of our offline lives. Have you noticed yourself making more grammatical errors, or having the urge to abbreviate words? You can thank the Internet for that. Because of the pervasiveness of slang in IM and texting, our brains now expect it.

The Internet really is changing the way we process information. Is it making us stupid? Not necessarily, but I don’t like it all the same.

Although this really is a well thought out article, as BookWorm579 pointed out, I must say that your article about the Internet changing the way our brains work and everything- I have not done all the painstaking research like you have, but this very article is posted on the Internet! Like I say, your information is probably viable, but its being on the Internet may make all the difference in how people receive it.

I think that this is a really well thought out article. However, I think that as long as people place intelligence over convenience, like in this essay, the internet can be a viable way to increase overall knowledge.

i like the way the article has been put...i mean i makes us realise how sloppy and problematic our language has turned out due to the net but i think its on how you use it.i mean even though some people just become lazy while reading there are some who use it to its utmost level.so its boons and banes are levelled.